


courage- a trans girl link fic

by her0esneverdie



Category: Legend of Zelda
Genre: F/F, Modern AU, Trans Female Character, Transgender, zelink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2018-11-01 20:38:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10929627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/her0esneverdie/pseuds/her0esneverdie
Summary: the heroine of courage finds herself, and discovers her role in hyrule's destiny.trans girl link fic!modern au!reformatted from where I originally posted it for ao3 so forgive formatting issues.





	1. Chapter 1

"ANNE, I'VE GOT LINK- COME ON!"  
A fair skinned man with pointed ears held his baby tight as he yelled down the stairs to his wife, who was staring at the home she'd loved for years as it crumbled to dust in the flames around her. Another volley of shots pierced through the soot covered collapsing walls beside her, snapping her back into reality. Panicked, she stumbled up the steps as the flaming banisters licked her ankles and left burns. Her ears rang as yet more shots ripped through what had once been her sanctuary. She grasped her husband's hand, and together they headed for their bedroom.

"I'm scared, Roy..." she began, before being quieted by a tight squeeze of the hand and a dedicated nod. "We'll find a way out of this." he said, holding his baby in his right arm while holding his wife's hand with the other. "We have to. For Link."

The next events happened in slow motion, as if arranged in precisely timed steps.

Link cried loudly, overwhelmed by the heat and noise.  
As if in response, the house let out a terrifying, echoing groan as the supports of the first story began to give way.   
Anne stumbled, losing her balance and falling back as the room began to skew.  
Roy threw open the room's front window facing the street, tearing aside the netting.  
The house groaned again, fiercer than before.  
The ceiling began to fall apart, beams sinking through the threshold.  
Roy whipped around, reaching out for Anne.  
The ceiling collapsed, trapping Anne beneath.  
Roy yelled for his wife.  
Anne cried "GO!!"  
The front of the bottom floor collapsed.  
Roy was thrown out of the window with Link in tow.  
The house collapsed around Anne.

Roy landed on the ground outside, staring at the rubble that was once his home. With horror in his eyes and a sinking feeling in his chest, he realized that Anne had gone down with the house. No. No time for tears. They'll be coming, and they didn't seem to be the type to leave loose ends.

Roy limped towards his car, lightly damaged and sitting on the side of the road. More shots rang through the air, making sure that the job was complete. Roy limped faster. Throwing open the car door and jumping in, he started up the cheap gray minivan and lay Link on his lap. No time for the child seat right now.   
He pulled away just as they entered the front yard.

\-------------------

"Hey, Dragmire? We're pretty sure that was Roy Smith driving away. Anne Smith's corpse was in the house, and no word on the kid yet." 

A dark skinned man with blazing red hair listened to the report with calculating eyes. A jewel rested upon his forehead, glinting in unison with his eyes as he responded.  
"Not an issue. The car is rigged."   
He looked at his subservient with teasing, questioning eyes.  
"Don't tell me that none of you saw this as a possibility?"

Reaching a gloved hand into his suit pocket, he pulled out a device roughly the size and shape of a walkie talkie and watched as a low quality feed from within the car began to broadcast.  
"It's okay." Roy cooed in a whisper, a visible stream of blood coming from a cut on his forehead. "Daddy's here. Daddy's here, Link. It's okay."  
"Father and son accounted for." Dragmire smiled, pressing a button on the side of the device.  
Within moments, a ear shattering cacophony resounded through the skies as Roy's van exploded.  
As the feed shuddered and disconnected, Dragmire found himself satisfied with the work he had performed.  
"Mission complete, boys. The host has been eliminated."

As his goons began to retreat to the back side of the burning remains of the house where they had approached from, Dragmire gently removed his glove and watched the back of his hand as a stack of three triangles appeared upon it. The top triangle began to glow brilliantly as Dragmire studied it.

"One host downed, and one left to find."

As police arrived at the scene of the explosion, they found a few interesting things.   
One, that the cause of the explosion was external, and had nothing to do with the car itself.  
Two, a charred charm attached to the car keys.  
Three, one extremely lucky living baby.


	2. •  courage •

Link Smith was raised in an orphanage right outside of the bustling city of Hyrule.

At a young age, it was explained to him that his parents passed away while he was a baby. They died under odd circumstances, with no specific causes. A burned house (supposedly arson) and an exploded car? All that could be gathered was that it was incredibly likely that organized crime was involved, as with no traces left behind and both parents killed it was definitely not a coworker with a grudge.

All that could be salvaged from either of his parents was a seemingly handcrafted charm that was attached to the car keys. The charm was simple, but comforting. A red glass heart, with distinct ornate metallic swirls coating it. The glass and metal were a little discolored due to the flames, but it was still entirely intact. Seemingly nothing, but it still meant a lot to him. One single piece of a life that he could have lived, if it hadn't been for whoever had done his parents in. It was put on a thin silver chain which Link always wore.

Link was a reasonably athletic kid- although asthmatic, he showed at least some skill in almost everything he attempted.  
At seventeen, he was lightly muscled, around 5'10 with the skin color of his father and the pointed ears to match. His hair was a dirty blond, soft and unruly, with long bangs reaching far down past his ears on either side. His eyes were a striking blue, with a scar from the wreck splitting his left eyebrow in half. The eyebrows themselves were somewhat thin, looking almost as if they were trimmed by a novice with the wrong tools.

In the orphanage, rooming arrangements for the young adults were separated by gender, with Link rooming with two boys — Fledge and Groose. Groose, in a word, was difficult. Everything he thought, he said or did. Upon facing any form of resistance, he would answer with fists, as Link had realized within the first week. Upon upturning a questioning brow at Groose's name, Link was immediately sent spiraling down with a black eye. Fledge, on the other hand, was the complete opposite — sensitive, emotional, and caring. His hair was a soft minty green, as were his eyebrows (they had to be dyed, but Link never asked.) Link was once awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of Fledge weeping because a dog died in a book he was reading. Within a month, the dynamic had become;  
1\. Groose and Link fight  
2\. Fledge patches up the loser  
much to the dismay of their next door neighbors, a group of girls who were around the same age —  
Malon, Nabooru, and Saria.  
Malon was a woodsy teenager the same age as Link with long brown hair, calloused hands, and an extensive knowledge on anything related to the outdoors.  
With bright red hair tied back in a ponytail and tough dark skin etched with scars, Nabooru was a striking presence. Coming from the far-off desert area of Gerudo Valley, her parents abandoned her in Hyrule city at a young age. This led her along the road of a thief, stealing food to stay alive. She was finally caught and sent to the orphanage about two months ago.  
Saria was an odd one, incredibly short but apparently still old enough to live in the young adult's rooms. Her hair was green, a foresty and unique green, entirely unlike Fledge's calming tone. Every aspect of her screamed plant life, with at least ten plants placed by her in the windowsill of their room. She was also oddly proficient in the ocarina, which annoyed Groose to no end. He'd actually threatened to smash it once, but was halted by a silent Nabooru producing a switchblade out of seemingly nowhere.

One night that set the most world changing event of Link's life into motion started like any other; with Groose.  
Link awoke with a start to a pillow hitting him square in the face. "Fairy-boy. You're snoring. Make it stop or the next thing that hits you won't be so soft." Good ol' Groose. Groggily, Link reached for his phone, a treasure he bought with the money from his job at the local pub. 4:56 am. A light sleeper, Link knew he wouldn't be settling down any time soon. Stumbling to his feet, he shuffled to the bathroom for a shower. Locking the door and taking off his pajamas, he gazed in the mirror. Focusing in on each of his flaws. Despising everything about it. The muscles on his arms and legs, his flat chest, his broad shoulders, that.. that disgusting fucking thing between his legs. Focusing on his chin, he saw a few long hairs sprouting out.  
Fuck.  
This was the one thing Link never had told, and never would tell, anybody.  
He hated his body.  
It didn't match.  
He'd known it for ages, for an unmistakeable amount of time.  
He wasn't a boy. Even that, he, it was caustic.  
Poisonous.  
But he knew that not only would nobody else ever see him as a "she", if he started referring to himself as such, he probably wouldn't be able to stop. He'd slip up and be a laughing stock forever.  
And yet every "he" felt like water torture, every "handsome" felt like a sock to the chest- no, worse. At least when Groose socked him in the chest, he healed from it. Every masculine adjective attached to him stuck in his mind, poisoning his thoughts and actions and killing his willpower.  
Snapping back into reality, Link realized he had broken skin. As a habit, whenever he got dysphoric, Link found himself tearing into his arms with his nails. Dripping blood onto the tile floor, he sighed and started up the shower.


	3. • narrow •

As the hot water poured over Link's body, he felt his arm sting as the water assaulted his cut arm and blood-diluted water slipped into the drain. Lifting his head, he scanned the products littering the shower's shelves. A loofah for each person and several gendered body washes and hair products. Of course they were gendered, what wasn't nowadays? Link reached for the men's body wash apprehensively before stopping just short of the bottle. "Would the girls notice if I used a bit of theirs instead..?" He muttered, the sound overtaken by the cascading water. "Just a dime size amount. Nothing more." He settled, switching sides of the shower and grasping a mint green bottle that smelled lightly of flowers. He uncapped and squeezed the bottle, allowing a minuscule dollop of soap to drop onto his green loofah. Beginning to wash, Link felt.. conflicted. He felt somewhat liberated to be using a preferable scent of soap, but at the same time he felt like he was lying, stealing even. He wasn't a girl, and this wasn't for him. He was taking the resources  of people who were born with the right to use this stuff.. It felt ridiculous to be thinking that- like taking a shower was treason- but nonetheless, Link felt definite shame.

Shutting off the water, Link stepped out from behind the curtain and into the steam of the rest of the bathroom. Wrapping a towel around his chest and letting it drape the rest of the way down, he thrush open the bathroom door to find Nabooru standing by the door stoically with crossed arms. Stalling for a moment before walking past, Link headed for his room. "You smell nice." Nabooru spoke, splitting the silence. Link froze. "Almost familiar."  
Shit.  
Link was still, frantically grasping for excuses in his mind as Nabooru waited for a response. "If you're gonna use my shit, you could at least ask first." She said, shutting down the conversation and entering the bathroom. 

Link stumbled into his dark bedroom, heart hammering like an insane drumbeat.  
"If Maron or Saria had figured out instead of Nabooru they definitely would've pressed for answers."  
Link thought, mind racing with disastrous possibilities.  
"They'd have hated me. Groose would have beat my face in. Fledge would probably have been creeped out."  
He spiraled into exaggeration before a reminder on his phone buzzed. If he wanted to keep on schedule, he'd have to start getting ready. He had work today.

Pulling on the simple uniform of jeans and a t-shirt with a pumpkin on the front, Link pocketed his phone and set out for work. He didn't have a car, but he did have a crappy bike chained up in front of the orphanage. Unhooking the chain and sliding onto it, he began trekking to his job at the pub- the Lumpy Pumpkin. Link thought the name was unappetizing, but the owner, Pumm, disagreed. "It's too late anyhow; sign's already up, isn't it?" He'd always say. He was proud of that sign. His daughter, Kina, had painted it not more than a few months ago. Kina was an artistic sort, with a lovely voice and her black hair streaked with unnatural grays. It seemed like she couldn't let a few sentences pass without letting out a cryptic phrase or two. Her dark brown eyes seemed to know everything, scanning every item and person in a room at least three times before settling down. Her father, however, was the exact opposite. Pumm was a jolly soul— portly, with a bulbous dark red nose and a scruffy mustache. This was topped off with a ponytail and a perfect palette. Honestly, Link could never find a better cook than Pumm. He constantly served perfections out of nothing, seemingly without trying— the jury was still out on whether or not Kina had inherited this gift.

Pulling in front of the Lumpy Pumpkin, Link chained his bike to a lamppost and walked inside.  
Within moments, he was overtaken by the homey lights, the thick and delicious scent of Pumm's signature pumpkin soup, and the light hearted banter of the breakfast patrons crowding the tables and bars.

"SMITH!" Pumm's hearty voice bellowed through the room. "GOOD TO SEE YOU ON TIME! GET IN THE KITCHEN, HUH KID?" Link wasn't sure that guy had ever whispered before in his life. He definitely appreciated the use of his last name as opposed to his first. With a chuckle, he tied on a small apron and headed for the kitchen

The kitchen was comforting, with rustic wooden countertops and a beat up old stove and dishwasher. Cabinets filled with spices, ingredients, and foods filled every wall of the room, with Pumm likely being the only one able to navigate them fully. Even Kina, who had lived here since she was born, had troubles navigating the labyrinthine cabinets. Sliding open the shade separating the bar from the kitchen, Link got to work.

His skill with cooking had definitely increased since he started working here, but he was no Pumm. Mixing together the famous pumpkin soup, Link began to simultaneously begin to cook up a toasted sandwich for another gentleman patron. A flurry, he assembled multiple dishes at once, setting them out for Kina to deliver. Kina stopped him at one point, speaking in her cryptically soothing voice. 

"Be careful not to strain yourself, working as you are.” She gently patted his arm, the same he'd torn open that morning. “You've hurt yourself more than enough today already."  
Link laughed nervously, rubbing his arm. "I-I'll be fine. Order up for table 4?" He said weakly, handing her a sandwich on a platter. Giving Link a knowing glance that he definitely didn't like, Kina left the kitchen. 

Unable to shake the paranoia of being found out, Link moved at a slower pace for the rest of the day.  
Leaving the pub at the end of the day, Link headed for his bike, only to find a loose chain on the ground.  
Great.  
Settling with the bus, Link found himself waiting on a beige bench in front of a bus stop.  
As the bus prattled to a stop, spitting out cloudy fumes, Link boarded and dropped his fare in the box.  
Full to the brim.. swell.  
Scanning the bus, he found one seat left next to a girl in a thin pastel pink sweater.  
"Could I sit here?"  
The girl turned to look at him and smiled, her blonde hair shifting to her other side.  
"Of course."  
They sat silently for a few moments, before the girl broke the silence.  
"My name is Zelda. It's nice to meet you."  
She reached out for a handshake.  
Link smiled, reaching out to reciprocate.  
"I'm, uh, Link. Nice to meet you too."  
They shook hands, before being distracted by an ominous glow.  
Looking down at their joined hands, they saw two identical stacks of three triangles on the back of their hands, though Link's stack had a more accentuated and glowing triangle on the right, while Zelda had a more accentuated triangle on the left of the stack.  Looking at each other with a similar confused face, Link and Zelda slowly separated, beginning to stare at their hands.  
"Was this.. you?"  
Link asked, tracing the triangles with his right hand index finger.  
"No.. it wasn't you?"  
"No..."  
Zelda rubbed at her triangles.  
"I knew about this, but.. me?"  
"What do you m-"  
Link wasn't able to finish his sentence before the bus exploded.


	4. • conflict •

Link slipped back into consciousness about a minute later. He was laying on the coarse road, flames and bus wreckage surrounding him. He loosely put out a hand to lift himself up, but ended up falling back to the ground again with a dizzying thud.  
"The hand was still glowing."  
Link thought, reaching out in an attempt to stand once more.  
Reaching a shaky balance, knees to the road, Link looked around.  
Bodies.  
Bodies lie everywhere.  
The other bus patrons lie scattered along the ground, obscured only by the thick grey smoke.  
They all looked injured at the very least.  
Feeling a wetness on his cheek, he touched it lightly and pulled away with a copious amount of blood.  
With a only long and deep cut along his left cheek and intense bruising, Link should have considered himself lucky.  
Looking around once more, he noticed that Zelda wasn't anywhere in sight.  
Where was she?  
What happened after the.. triangle thing?  
Also, what the shit was that?  
Weird glowy triangles appearing on the backs of hands of two strangers, one stranger knows what it is, the bus fucking explodes.  
Link pulled himself to his feet as the smoke began to clear to reveal a silhouetted figure.  
And then a second figure kneeling before the first figure.  
A triangle began to glow intensely on the hand of the second figure  
Zelda?  
The first figure was holding a gun to her head.  
Link grasped at his feet, finding a steel bar within the wrecked remnants of the bus.  
There was no time to waste.  
Link surged forwards, swinging his bar at the gunman's hand in a swift, fluid motion— just fast enough to discharge the figure's shot into the air.  
Now close enough to observe the figure, Link observed his dark skin, his blazing and thick red hair, and most strikingly, his yellow eyes.  
"Ah..." the figure muttered, his voice a thick baritone.  
The figure studied Link, staring first at his pointed ears. Then at his unruly dirty blond hair. Finally, at his sky blue eyes.  
"Link Smith?" The figure smiled coyly.  
Link faltered slightly.  
"In all honesty, I thought I killed you already. That would explain how the triforce evaded me for so long. Not very subtle by the way— this little lady and you sitting together? The Triforce energy the both of you were putting off was exponential, and so easily trackable too." The figure continued to stare, his eyes piercing through every fiber of Link's being. "My name is Ganondorf Dragmire. If I don't kill you now, assume that you will see me again."  
In a kicking motion, Ganondorf swept the steel bar out of Link's hands. As it clattered to his side, Link felt dread rise from within as a gun was leveled against him.  
"You have your mother's eyes, by the way."  
A deafening shot rang out as a bullet ripped through Link's body.

The last things Link remembered before blacking out were a police siren, Ganondorf disappearing into the shadows, and Zelda's voice calling his name.


	5. • recover •

Forest.  
Forest surrounded Link from all directions.  
Almost fuzzy, some things unfocused and discolored.  
The smell was focused, though.  
The thick and adventurous scent of pine needles and thick loamy soil was very real.  
Ahead was a large stump, and sitting on it was a woman with incredibly long green hair and a white silky dress.  
She was giant.   
An incredibly tall woman with scars running up her legs.  
"Hello, Link Smith."  
Link bristled as he realized that he was noticed.  
It didn't help that he was shot the last time he heard his full name.  
"H-hello. Who are you?"  
Link was sure that he should be scared right now, maybe a bit clammy, but he felt nothing physical.   
"You are a spirit right now. Your body is back in the physical realm healing— I thought we should have a talk."  
She gave an apologetic smile.  
"Sorry. I could sense your confusion. My name is Farore."  
Link would have fallen to his knees if he still had knees.  
This was one of the three goddesses!  
Farore, the goddess of courage, was sitting right in front of him.  
"O-oh I uh-h um- it's l-lovely to meet you?" Link stammered.  
Farore smiled.  
"This isn't actually our first meeting. From birth, you've been my chosen host of the Triforce of Courage."  
Farore explained with an apologetic look, as if she found herself to be the cause of Link's recent strife.  
"Triforce?"  
He asked, finding it slightly hard to show respect or emote without arms or legs.  
Farore lifted her hand, and the glowing right side of the triangle stack from Link's hand lifted into the air, albeit in a three-dimensional form.   
"During the dawn of humanity, my sisters and I created a legendary power that could grant the deepest desire of any person. It surpassed even our powers. As those with corrupt will began to seek it out, we realized that this was too much power to be left out in the open for any pursuer to find."  
The ghostly outlines of two more triangles appeared, arranged in a stack with Link's, although they appeared wispier, with a more gossamer quality to them.  
"We split the Triforce into three— One representing each of our ideals. The Triforce of Power, Wisdom, and Courage. You, Link, have possessed the Triforce of Courage ever since you were born. Even as a child, your potential for unbreakable will was evident. This was why I entrusted you with this."  
With a wave of her hand, she dispelled the ghostly Triforce pieces and sent the Triforce of Courage floating back into Link's spirit.  
Link thought for a second before responding.  
"With all due respect, I'm not sure this should be entrusted to me. I... I don't have an unbreakable will. In all honesty, I crumble at the thought of my body. I have a lot of... um... gender dysphoria. It kind of hinders me, and prevents me from being who I want to be— or who I need to be, according to what you're saying."  
Farore smiled comfortingly.  
"I am aware of this. My sister, Din, enforced it as a sort of trial for you. I can't say I fully agree with her methods, but she has said that if you're truly a host deserving the Triforce of Courage then you will have to overcome the pain that your body brings you."  
Link felt conflicted by this.  
On one hand.. Link was a girl. He was intended be a girl. He was supposed to be a girl. On the other.. he wasn't. The goddesses put him through the pain of being born in the wrong body as a trial.

Farore looked at Link sympathetically.  
"To pass my sister's trial you'd have to be as a Shiekah—" she waved her hand and scowled, showing distaste for the idea— "Genderless, without personality, and entirely goal oriented." Her scowl relaxed into a frown. "I have nothing against the Shiekah, of course. They are an honorable people. I simply believe that a hero should have opinions, weaknesses, fears. I wish Din could see that, instead of insisting that you should be unaffected by all which surrounds you. Even Nayru agrees with me, and that's not entirely common."  
Farore snapped back into reality and smiled down on Link.  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be troubling you with my ramblings."  
She made eye contact with Link before continuing.  
"Link Smith, no matter your name, your appearance, or your gender, you are my chosen hero. The Triforce of Courage is yours to protect, and I trust you."  
Link's vision became fuzzier, and he felt as if he was falling backwards.  
"Goodbye, hero. I'll be watching over you."

Link's eyes fluttered open to see the drab whites of a hospital room.  
No sooner than he woke up, a green emblem depicting two waves and a ball appeared on his chest, right over his bullet wound.  
Farore's symbol.  
The wrappings covering his wound lifted from his chest as the wound itself healed miraculously and closed up, leaving only a scar. The wrappings fluttered to the floor as Farore's magic faded and disappeared.  
Taking a deep breath, Link sat up straighter and fully scanned the room.  
In front of him was a TV playing some trashy game show on very low volume. To his left, a nightstand with cards from various friends and acquaintances.   
From Fledge, "get well soon! the room isn't the same without you!" With a doodle of Groose yelling attached.  
From the girls next door from the orphanage, "We hope you get better soon!!" Though it had Nabooru's signature, Link severely doubted that she actually had anything to do with it.  
From Pumm and Kina, a plate of cookies.

On his right.. Zelda?  
Zelda.  
Zelda?  
It was Zelda.  
Zelda was sitting in Link's hospital room.  
She was slumping on the vinyl chair in the corner of the room with her hair ruffled and a bit of drool on the corner of her mouth. She was wearing a pastel sweatshirt and jeans.   
Link tried to get up to find a nurse and find out how long he'd been asleep, but entirely neglected to realize that he was hooked up to an IV and ended up plummeting toward the ground with the IV in tow, making impact with a loud clang.

"SHIT–FUH—" Zelda awoke with a start and fell onto the floor facefirst.  
"unh.. Hey Link? Was, uh, that you?" Zelda spoke up from the other side of the bed.  
"yyyeaaaahhhhh" Link slurred, rubbing the back of his head as fluids from the IV spilled across the floor. Zelda stumbled to her feet, and helped Link do the same. "I just thought I'd watch over you given that, uh, y'know, I caused you to get shot." Zelda muttered, wiping the IV juices off of Link.   
"Besides—" she lifted up her hand to show the left Triforce piece glowing on her hand.  
"—We have some things to talk about."


	6. • release •

Link checked out of the hospital and, after settling his such and so's at the orphanage, went to Zelda's house to discuss everything going on. They had exchanged numbers at the hospital, and had since had some oddly close-seeming conversations for people who had just met not too many days ago.

Z: hey testing testing is this link?  
L: yeah! zelda?  
Z: yuppers- can u still come to my place tomorrow? this triforce junk is something that Needs 2 Be Discussed  
L: yeah im away from work for a bit- plus my work shirt is covered in blood so  
Z: yikes lol i can relate i ruined my favorite pastel pink sweater  
L: do you only wear pastel pink bc im sensing a theme  
Z: ,,,maybe  
Z: A LOT OF PASTEL COLORS OK  
Z: ive got an aesthetic to uphold  
L: lol jealous  
Z: whaddya mean?  
L: uh just like i can never pull off that kinda stuff and i don't have a ton of money for clothes  
Z: you don't have to type "uh" fool this is texting  
L: listen,  
Z: ill give u smth to wear tomorrow, a cute sweater maybe  
L: i mean im not opposed to that  
Z: good im already pulling one out of my closet  
L: coming over rn  
Z: wait till tomorrow you CREEP  
L: this is harassment  
Z: GOODNIGHT COME OVER AT LIKE 9-12 TOMORROW MORNING YOU CREEP  
L: harassment

By the next day, Link's heart was rattling off an extravagant drum solo.  
First of all, Triforce, destiny, evil, etc. etc.  
Secondly, cute sweater.  
Zelda was really sweet from the sparse conversations that they'd been able to have together so far, too.

Arriving in front of her house (On foot— the bike still hadn't turned up, and Link didn't see himself taking the bus again anytime soon), Link stared up at the near-mansion-sized home. "Goddesses, it is gigantic." Link thought, pushing onward towards the front door. Activating the doorbell, a faint and simple melody played loudly enough to be heard through the door.

The door flung open and before Link could register the interior he was pulled through the doorway and up a staircase.  
Flying into a room before hitting the wall with a crash, Link looked about dizzyingly. That was.. a ride.  
"Sorry, I'm not much for greetings— good to see you again Link!!" Zelda smiled, seemingly unfazed by the suddenness of  their third meeting. Not that the first two weren't sudden. One on an exploding bus and one in a hospital. Not exactly relationship starters. Not to say that they were on the road to a relationship- gah, whatever. Link snapped back into reality to see Zelda digging through a few shopping bags in the corner. The room was cute and pink, matching the only clothes Link had seen her in thus far. Pressed flowers covered certain areas of the wall, the others decorated with ornate designs and canvas paintings. Link's view of the room came to a sudden halt, becoming a thick dark green. After a few dazed seconds, the sweater fell off of Link's face. "I looked around my closet and didn’t find anything that would look good on you, so I headed out shopping. Green would look good on you, don't you think?" 

Link looked at the sweater, studied it, and for one reason.  
It was a women's sweater.  
It was a women's sweater.

 

Zelda bought her a women's sweater, and didn't even comment on it.  
As if she could wear this and it would be absolutely normal.  
And now Link was referring to herself as a her.  
And she couldn't stop.  
It was as if the handles of a faucet had been pulled, spilling out water that had been trapped in the pipes for ages.  
She was a girl.  
She wasn't Link.

"What do you think? I thought it was cute-"  
"I'm a girl." She blurted.  
Zelda halted, taken off guard.  
"I-I'm a transgender girl. I'm not-I'm not Link. I don't want to be Link. I'm not a boy."  
Zelda stood in place, blank stare directed right at her.  
"I... I'm sorry." She lowered her head, closing her eyes.  
"Hey..." Zelda murmured, lifting her head with her first two fingers.  
Tears were pouring down her face. Zelda wiped them off of her left cheek.  
"It'll be okay. It'll be okay.. Lynn? Does that work?  
Lynn nodded, sniffling a bit and smiling.  
Zelda smiled, wiping away Lynn's tears again.  
"How about we talk about all this destiny garbage later? I say we have a makeover and go out shopping for more clothes for you."  
Lynn didn't stop crying for a long while, but at the same time found herself happier than she'd ever been before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY I DIDNT USE LINKLE AS HER NAME it just sounds so silly.........  
> HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS


	7. • soul •

Lynn had her eyes closed, Zelda putting makeup on her face gently to prepare for their night out.  
She had on the green sweater and a cute skirt. A skirt! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!  
"You don't have a lot of hair, which is an issue," Zelda said in a reassuring mutter, sweeping Lynn's bangs to the side. "I think it'll pass if you just put on a beanie, make it seem like it's all bundled up inside. I've got a knit green one somewhere in my closet."   
She moved on to the eyes, applying a bit of eye shadow and eyeliner.  
Lynn fidgeted a bit with her hands.  
"Why did you get me a girl's sweater?" She asked, feeling Zelda pause.  
"It's not like I'm upset or anything, obviously, I just wanted to know how you.. How you saw through me, kinda?"  
Lynn opened her eyes, looking into Zelda's.  
"I've been hiding for so long, but just through that you just split right through me."  
Zelda thought before responding.  
"I thought it suited you better. I wasn't specifically thinking, like, "I'm gonna buy Li-uh, Lynn a girl's sweater", I just thought it would look the best on you. You've got a very cute figure." Zelda smiled and put her hand on Lynn's chest. "I'm not saying that to flatter you either! You legitimately have a figure like an athletic girl. You've got the hips and everything." Lynn smiled- "Have you been staring at my hips a lot?" Zelda's cheeks flushed as she laughed nervously. "Freakin'.. Close your eyes and let me finish your makeup girl- goddesses you're stretching this out, are you sure you aren't just coming up with excuses to have me close to your face?"   
"touché"

 

"...okay, open up your eyes!"  
Zelda stood to the side and let Lynn have a clear view of the mirror.  
Opening her eyes, Lynn gasped.  
There was a girl in the mirror.  
And it wasn't Zelda.  
Of course, like she had said, the hair was a bit short, but..  
Zelda was apparently really good at makeup, because looking back at Lynn in the mirror was an entirely new girl.  
A girl with beautiful contour and really cute eyebrows.

In a flash of emotion, Lynn sprang up and hugged Zelda tightly-  
Unfortunately, Lynn was maybe too emotional, as she tackled Zelda to the ground.  
"SHIT, LYNN!" She wheezed, pushing her off.  
"Just don't start crying, please. I spent a century doing your makeup, It'll be really upsetting if you messed it all up before we even got out." Zelda smiled, stumbling back to her feet.  
Lynn followed suit, following her back to her room. "Sorry! I just.. Y'know? It's hard to express. It's like I saw the me that was on the inside all along."   
"We're not done yet, Lynn- Don't forget the beanie. Also boobs."  
Lynn froze, blushing more than she thought was even possible. "B-what??"  
Zelda burst into laughter, nearly collapsing onto the floor again, "False boobs! You know, a stuffed bra or whatever."   
She smiled flirtily, grabbing a (fittingly) green bra from her closet. "We're gonna use balloons filled with birdseed. They look and feel more realistic— I had a trans cousin, and she helped me learn this stuff while I was trying to help her out." She dug around in a few drawers by her desk before finding a dusty pair of filled balloons. "She left them here a year ago or so when she moved away." 

"Lift up your sweater and shirt for a sec- be careful with the makeup too."  
Still blushing, Lynn revealed her bare chest as Zelda went to her back and clasped the bra shut around her and slipped in the balloons. Pulling back down her sweater over the now protruding chest, Zelda slipped the beanie down over Lynn's head.

Lynn had to try her hardest to keep from crying and smearing her makeup.  
She finally was able to look at herself and like what she saw.  
This time, her enthusiastic hug was reciprocated and didn't topple Zelda.

"Let's get going then, huh?"  
Zelda smiled and jingled her keys.


	8. • real •

Soft, twinkling tunes danced out of Zelda's car radio as they headed for the mall, establishing a comforting atmosphere within her relatively nice car.  
Lynn still couldn't believe it.  
Years, actual years of anxiety and hiding crumbled in a second.   
And then, just like that, she was living.  
"Thank you for being so accepting.." Lynn began, turning to face Zelda's pale face, highlighted by the encroaching moonlight. "I'm sorry I just kind of sprung it on you when I came out. In all honesty, I wasn't even expecting myself to say it."  
Zelda smiles, keeping her eyes on the road.  
"It wasn't a big shock. I'm pretty involved with the LGBT community."  
After a pause, she flashes a glance at Lynn.  
"I'm a lesbian," She explains, flicking her wrist and revealing a bright bracelet bearing a pride flag.   
"And I've got my trans cousin. She's living in Gerudo Town right now- otherwise I'd take you to meet her."  
The car rumbled on softly.   
Gerudo valley.  
The population is entirely made up of women (or vai, as the Gerudo called them) save one man (or voe) born on a rare occasion.   
Generally they don't let men into the hub of the valley, Gerudo Town, but they let a trans girl in.. Lynn had always considered the people of the valley to be more conservative. Maybe they were opening up on that front? Hard to say without a visit.   
Lynn looked out her window and toward the skies, searching for signs of the goddesses.   
Lynn wasn't sure how to feel about Din.   
Goddess of power, she constructed not only physical trials but mental trials to test her strength.  
Din forced her into a boy's body. As a test.  
Long nights crying, inability to even shower without freaking out, internally screaming every time she heard "Link" or "he".   
A test.  
The car rumbled, passing over gutters and into a parking lot.  
A fucking test.  
How could Nayru and Farore, the two other goddesses of wisdom and courage respectively, allow this? Did they just ignore her anguish? The pain that this test caused her? Lynn could guarantee that this stupid goddamn test hadn't made her any more powerful, more accurately it broke her will and crumbled her to the ground.   
What a great fucking test.   
She snapped back into reality as Zelda shook her shoulder.   
"Hyrule to Lynn? Goddess, I thought I lost you there for a minute." She snickered, successfully anchoring Lynn back into reality.  
"Sorry, lost in thought.." Lynn stuttered, rubbing her shoulder.  
Zelda smirked and gave her a shove. "We're here, dummy."  
As the automatic doors parted, a gust of warm air welcomed them into the mall, the heating blasting at a comfortable level.   
Stores. Stores everywhere.  
This was truly a rich kid's mall experience. The mall itself was giant, and stores of varying types could be found around every corner.  
Zelda strolled up to a map kiosk and began scrutinizing it, tracing out certain stores silently. As Lynn followed, Zelda turned and snapped.  
"First, we've gotta go to Silent Princess. Their clothes are really cute and, uh, reasonably affordable. Then, maybe Snowquill, given that we're slipping in to autumn and you're gonna need some clothes. We're going to steer clear of Nightshade. I swear to the goddess Hylia herself, if you even think about wearing all black with a lynel saying "rawr" on the shirt, I will pretend that I never knew you." Zelda rambled excitedly, clearly ready to start shopping.  
"Ready?" Zelda smiled, offering out a hand.  
"You don't even know." Lynn responded nervously. Finally. Buying her own clothes. Girl's clothes. Good clothes!!!  
With that, Zelda snatched up Lynn's hand and began  to barrel towards Silent Princess, running up the escalator and swinging wildly to avoid corners and other patrons.  
For a few hours, Zelda helped Lynn pick out, try on, and buy clothes. One thing Zelda realized for sure was that Lynn definitely had a penchant for green.   
Lynn eventually found herself stopping and gaping at a beautiful green floral dress.  
It was perfect.  
She ran her hands across the fabric, feeling the pattern and silky cloth.  
It was covered in white flowers, with a green sash at the waist.  
Suddenly, Zelda was behind her, judging the dress.  
"Lynn. You've gotta try that one on."  
Lynn didn't waste a second rushing to do so.  
She pulled on the dress excitedly, and cocked her head to the side to look in the mirror.

 

Holy shit.  
Holy. Shit.  
It looked good. It looked really good.  
It made her butt look good, for one thing.  
A pounding on the door ripped her attention away from the mirror.  
Zelda's voice rang through the stall. "Either let me in or send pictures, Lynn!"  
She clicked open the door, and Zelda, leaning against it, was sent sprawling across the floor with a thud.  
With an "Oh my god!" Lynn rushed to Zelda's side, falling to her knees and grabbing her arm.  
Zelda's eyes fluttered back open, and her breath stalled for just a moment as she took in Lynn.  
"Lynn, holy shit."  
The Triforces on their hands were glowing.  
"You...  
You look beautiful."  
Lynn blushed, hard.  
"Are you okay? That was a really nasty fall.."  
Lynn reached for Zelda's hand, and the Triforces grew brighter.  
With Lynn's help, Zelda stumbled to her feet.  
"We should, um, we should finish shopping, huh? That dress is a must, absolutely." Zelda stuttered, her usual composure gone.  
The last thing Lynn thought before changing back into her normal clothes was that Zelda was absolutely adorable when she was embarrassed.


	9. • heart •

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lynn is gay

Lynn sat with Zelda at the food court, eating a slice of pizza while Zelda ate a particularly salty soft pretzel.  
Bags from their purchases sat at Lynn's side, a dollop of marinara sauce staining one of the bags.  
Goddess, Zelda is cute.  
Lynn couldn't believe her thoughts. She couldn't stop them either—  
Again and again since seeing her lose her composure in the dressing room, Lynn found her mind sliding back to Zelda. The way she waved her hands when she talked.  
The way she walked (purposeful, with a goal.)  
The way her eyes flashed when she got an idea.  
The way her triforce pulsated in tune with her bursts of energy.  
The messy way she ate.  
Her lips were covered in pretzel salt.  
...I could probably find a way to get that salt off her lips.  
OHMYGODDESSOHMYGODDESSOHMYGODDESS LYNN STOP  
Lynn's mind raced, her slice of pizza suspended in midair as her face went blank with thought.  
Was she gay?  
She took another glance at Zelda as she took a sip of her smoothie.  
Oh goddess Lynn was very gay she was so fucking gay.  
Lynn hadn't really ever had a crush before. The idea of someone liking her as a boy was honestly disgusting to her. She avoided romance altogether. But now...  
Zelda saw Lynn as a girl. Additionally, Zelda was amazing and gorgeous. And apparently Lynn was gay. Very gay.  
Zelda was a lesbian.  
What did that mean for Lynn?  
She was a girl, and Zelda saw her as such, but.. Lynn still had a...  
She gagged.  
"You okay? That didn't sound good." Zelda offered out her smoothie.  
Lynn dropped her pizza and blushed, pushing away Zelda's smoothie. "I'm good, I'm good, I just, uh, I don't know."  
Zelda nodded and licked her lips, finishing off her pretzel.  
Of course Zelda's composure had to come back as soon as Lynn's slipped away. What a fair place the world is.  
Without another thought from Lynn, Zelda snapped her fingers.  
"Now that we've done some shopping, it's time to talk destiny."  
She gestured to Lynn's Triforce.  
"You must have had some kind of.. experience.. with.. I don't know. The goddesses, Hylia, something. All I know is I watched you get shot and spring to your feet within a couple of days. I didn't even see a bullet wound when I helped you put on your bra."  
Zelda stared into Lynn's eyes curiously, but not in an antagonizing matter.  
"All I saw was a scar shaped like Farore's symbol."  
Lynn snuck a peek under her sweater, seeing for the first time that, in fact, Zelda was right. The scar left after Farore's healing was a very clear symbol of her protection.  
Lynn ran her fingers over the scar, feeling the ridges of the design and the scarred flesh composing it. It let out a faint flash of very muted green light, almost in recognition of her touch.  
Lynn returned Zelda's gaze and started talking. She told her about her meeting with Farore. She told her about her experience at the orphanage. She told her about her job. She should have stopped after relaying Farore's intention, but she just couldn't stop. She couldn't stop herself.

Word after word spilled from her lips. Emotions welled as she found herself talking about all the things she never talked about with anybody before. Zelda's hands drifted on top of hers, both resting on the table. Lynn choked on her tears a moment and looked at Zelda in silence. She gave a comforting look, urging Lynn to go on. And so she did.

An entire hour passed before Lynn was done. She'd never had anyone to talk about this stuff with before. She talked about Pumm and Kina, Groose and Fledge, Maron, Saria, and Nabooru. She talked about her parents, what little she knew about them and her life with them before everything fell apart. She fingered her heart charm, nearly having forgotten about it with all of the insanity going on. She talked about Ganondorf. Everything about him frightened her. Admitting it was scary. He killed her parents. He tried to kill her, too. Now he wanted to finish the job. And if Lynn couldn't find a way to stop him, she wouldn't only be endangering her own life, but Zelda's as well. And that was terrifying. That was the worst realization she'd come to. Zelda could likely fend for herself to some extent, but as the heroine of courage Lynn had to play some role in all this. If she failed, Zelda would be a goner. Hell, Hyrule itself could be a goner. Everything was dependent, at least to some extent, on her. And Lynn wasn't sure if she could bear that immense weight.

Lynn sobbed, drawn out and heavy breaths interrupted only by thick gasps for air as tears trailed down her cheeks. Sorrow, fear, anger, everything had been poured out of her. Every hidden emotion finally shared. Finally free.

Zelda squeezed her hands. 

"I can't imagine what it's been like for you.. all alone and going through all of this. I don't think I could have handled figuring out about being the host for the Triforce of Wisdom if my family wasn't there for me. My family has always been invested in the legends of the Goddesses, Hylia, and Demise. My grandpa told me the stories about the Triforce. I always knew about it but.. I definitely wasn't ready to be the host of a piece of it. I did a fair share of dealing with my new role with help from my family while you were still asleep but it's still..."

her makeup started to smear almost imperceptibly at the corners of her eyes as they went glassy and wet.

"It's terrifying. I know how you feel. I'm terrified."

Lynn squeezed her hand back.

A soft, scared chuckle breaks through the tears. 

"We can be terrified together."

Zelda let out a small snort. 

"Two clueless hosts to two pieces of the most powerful object in the universe.."

Circling to Lynn's side of the table, she embraced Lynn in a tight hug, getting some mascara on her sweater.

"...What could go wrong?"

Minutes passed in comfortable silence, the sense of solidarity comforting them both as the merciless nature of the world faded away.

 

"I kind of.. like you."

Her composure was gone again. 

"Even though I'm...?"

Zelda knit her brows at Lynn and shook her head determinedly, short tight pivots. She looked more serious than she had ever seen her before.

"Being transgender doesn't define who you are. It's just another part of you. You're a girl. Above all else, you're Lynn. And... I really like Lynn."

Flustered, she held her closer. 

"I really like you too."

Lynn had her first kiss that night.

Zelda's lips were really salty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first fic so i REALLY hope the romance isn't too hamfisted.... always open to comments and constructive criticism <3


	10. authors note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> uhhhh yeah

hey my pals- THIS STORY IS NOT DONE. i have a whole dang thing planned out.  
i'm really just posting this because it's stating this fic as completed when it is very definitely not.  
i myself am trans, and am currently going through the process of switching to a new school and beginning to transition- because of this, i haven't really been able to update this.  
i promise you, lynn's story is nowhere close to done.  
hit me up on twitter @sufferinsapphos


	11. •normal•

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> guess who’s back  
> back again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who’s back  
> back again

Lynn pushed through the doors of the orphanage, entering the reception area. She stepped to the front desk and the head of the orphanage, emboldened by her experience with Zelda. The head of the orphanage, Mrs. Dalia, an older Zora from outside of Hyrule, looked down at her, her prominent wrinkles enhancing the intensity of her stink eye. “Link?” Lynn’s muscles tightened slightly, but she stayed dedicated to her task. “Why are you dressed like that?” The Zora woman scowled deeply, looking her up and down. Lynn took one deep breath, then began. “I am transgender, and I am a girl. My name is Lynn. Please update the system to accommodate for this.” Mrs. Dalia smiled cruelly, folding her hands. “That’s not a rea-“ Dalia began, before Lynn cut her off with a steely eye. “I’m not asking you for your approval, I’m informing you of my decision.” Mrs. Dalia narrowed her eyes. “...Very well. You are not to room with the girls. There is simply not enough space for another bed.” Lynn knew that wasn’t true, but decided one victory was better than none, and she should avoid pushing it. “Thank you.” Lynn smiled, heading back up to her room. 

As soon as she stepped into the room, the chatter fell silent. Fledge sat on his bed, checking his phone, while Groose lifted some small weights. Both immediately turned to stare at Lynn, their faces equal parts shock and confusion. “Best to explain before Groose opens his mouth.” Lynn thought, stepping forward and preparing to make her identity known— only to be interrupted by Groose. Lynn braced for the worst. “So is it ‘fairy girl’ now, or what?” Lynn relaxed, pleasantly surprised. “Yeah Groose, that’s fine.” she chuckled. Fledge immediately dropped his phone and ran up to hug Lynn. “Name and pronouns?” he said, partially muffled by Lynn’s shoulder. She giggled happily, not expecting this wonderful of a reception by any means. “Lynn, She/her. Thank you!” She replied, voice practically dripping with the joy she was feeling. Fledge broke the hug, immediately grabbing her arm and pulling her out the door. “We have to tell the girls!” With little more information than that, Lynn was pushed into the girls room. “You’ve got a new roommate!” Fledge smiled as Groose strolled up behind him. Nabooru was sat in the corner, staring coldly at her phone, Malon hung upside down from a gymnastics bar positioned above her bed, and Saria watered her plants. Their activities were interrupted as all in the room turned to stare at Lynn. It took Malon approximately 0.26 seconds to respond as she flung herself off the gymnastics bar and wrapped Lynn up in a big hug, smiling from ear to ear. Saria smiled softly. “I’m so happy for you. Please don’t hesitate to talk to me if you need help.” She then turned back to her plants and continued pouring perfectly measured amounts of water into each pot. Nabooru stood up and pocketed her phone before approaching Lynn. “You’re moving into this room?” Lynn frowned. “Not exactly. Mrs. Dalia said I couldn’t move another bed in here.” “Bullshit,” Nabooru interrupted. “The warden doesn’t scare me. You take my bed in this room, I’ll take your old one in the other room.” Lynn straightened up elatedly. “Really? Are you sure?” “Absolutely.” Nabooru said plainly, already packing up her things. “I’d love to have 24/7 access to Groose’s workout equipment.” She looked off wistfully into the distance. “I’m gonna get so fucking swole.” With that, Nabooru was out the door.


	12. •sleep•

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im gonna be honest, ive been avoiding updating this because i feel sort of ashamed of the quality of it given how long ago i wrote it- this is a really REALLY really short chapter to (hopefully) get myself back into the swing of it. seriously its ridiculously short its like a twitter post length

The tense sound of cloth tearing was the very first thing Lynn heard when she sat on her new bed.  
She was on her feet and turned to face the bed in milliseconds flat, fists drawn and shaking.

“Nabooru never slept on her bed.”  
Saria’s soft, dreamlike voice filled the awkward silence left by Lynn’s outburst.  
She sat crosslegged atop her bed with her arms folded in her lap.  
“I’m not sure where she sleeps, actually,” She unthreaded her hands and shrugged drowsily.  
“I’m pretty sure she just used her bed to hide contraband.”

As if to confirm, Nabooru burst open the door from the hall and took strides to the bed, wordlessly tearing open a hole in the mattress and pulling out a plastic gallon baggie filled with various first aid materials, a switchblade, and a small stack of magazines, all labeled “PLAYGUY” with various scantily clad women on the covers. 

She caught Lynn’s gaze lingering on the magazine and narrowed her eyes, thick brows lowering.  
“Why-“  
“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.” Nabooru cut her off dryly.  
She got off her knees after gathering up her belongings in the crook of one arm and briskly walked to the door, bumping into Malon on her way out.  
Fresh out of the shower, Malon’s towel-wrapped hair tilted to the side as she put her hands on her hips.  
“Was she picking up her ‘magazines’?” She smiled wryly at Saria, who nodded silently.

 

Lynn gently pressed on different parts of the mattress to make sure she wouldn’t be stabbed in her sleep before settling in.  
Of course, “settling in” was a bit generous. The correct wording would be “laying in bed and staring deeply at the stucco ceiling.”  
It was difficult to register everything that had happened in such a short period of time.  
The bus, the fight, the transition, Zelda..  
Zelda.  
She rolled onto her side and picked up her phone.

>   
>  L: hey are you still awake?  
> 

She let her phone fall to her side, expecting radio silence based on the time. Then, her phone buzzed.

>   
>  Z: yeah actually ! what’s up hon  
>  L: i Cannot Sleep  
>  Z: yupppp me neither
> 
>  
> 
> Z: hey do you think we rushed into this relationship?  
> 

Lynn’s heart stalled for a moment before she responded.

>   
>  L: wdym?  
>  Z: just like  
>  Z: we weren’t even friends really beforehand? we spoke once on the bus  
>  Z: and then while staying with you at the hospital i just felt it  
>  Z: you know?  
>  L: no i don’t know i was in a coma then remember elaborate pls,,  
>  Z: agsgfsgsfsgsgshdhfjshagsghfh  
>  Z: idunno !! it !!  
>  Z: i just looked at you and i knew you were special to me right away  
>  Z: i didn’t really get what that specialness meant until you came out to me and your “boy disguise” crumbled  
>  Z: i was like Oh This Girl Is My Everything And I Want To Kiss Her  
> 

Lynn’s face flushed.

>   
>  L: for me that moment was when we were clothes shopping  
>  Z: you felt it too???  
>  Z: do you think that’s a destiny reincarnation thing or just a lesbians move fast stereotype thing  
> 

Lynn snickered. It felt nice to be called a lesbian. Just a lesbian, no addendums. Not a trans lesbian, just a lesbian. Just a girl in love with her girlfriend.

>   
>  L: i mean  
>  L: why not both?????????  
>  Z: you make a Good Fuckn Point.  
>  Z: even if we are moving fast, i want you to know that  
>  Z: you really do mean the world to me.  
>  Z: i want to hold you for hours and kiss your adorable blushing face  
>  L:,  
>  L: asfj  
>  L: j  
>  Z: ...you good, luv?  
>  L: might have j ust had a heart attack  
>  Z: awww sweets  
> 

The world around Lynn faded to the background slowly as she fought to keep her eyes open.

>   
>  Lynn slept better that night than she had in years.


End file.
